Chapter 12

"I'll save you the trouble, 7," R said, before 7 could ask why Roxas was there. She was sitting in one of the swivel chairs, swiveling idly back and forth, looking quite pleased with herself. "It's the cold virus. Scooch over, huh, so I can fix it for him?"

"That's alright, R, I'm perfectly capable of—" 7 broke off under her gaze, sighed, and moved aside. She pulled herself over to his computer. "Go ahead and sit down, Roxas. And R, what did he do to you to warrant this?"

"Said I wasn't any good at computers."

"Right…"

Roxas sat down on the cot, rubbing at his arms. He couldn't say he felt cold, but he certainly didn't feel good. He kept shaking, too, and he felt about ready to cough again. He did his best to hold that in.

"Don't worry too much about it, either," R added, cracking her knuckles one finger at a time. "I made sure to give him the non-contagious version so it wouldn't spread."

7 raised his eyebrows. "There's a non-contagious version?"

"Let's just say the only reason he wasn't here five minutes sooner is because there wasn't before today," R replied. "Why don't you lie down Roxas, so I can fix you up."

Roxas didn't lie down. He stared at her. "You're going to do it?" If he already didn't feel queasy enough…

"Have to prove a point, don't I?" R flashed a grin at him.

Roxas groaned. Of course. He would've gotten himself into this mess. He stifled another cough, then slowly lied down. It was absolutely impossible to breathe through his nose. The sooner this was over this, the better.

"Do you even know how to cure it?" 7 asked.

Roxas opened his eyes. He didn't like the sound of that. He propped himself up on his elbows, so he could see.

R shot 7 a dirty look. "Of course I do! I wrote it, didn't I?"

"Over a thousand hours of work on my part say otherwise…" 7 said. The look he gave R was equally as dirty.

"Well, okay, fine, I can cure this one but not so much the other ones."

"Really?"

"You're not helping me prove my point!"

"I think your point has been made," Roxas said, as quickly as possible, hoping to derail her. "Can we just make it so I'm not sick anymore? Or worse?"

R rolled her eyes. "I wasn't going to mess up your data that bad."

"Why don't you save us the time and hassle, R, and just use the RVE?" 7 suggested.

"What's the RVE?" R asked, as she typed something on the computer. Her eyes darted across the screen, and then she started laughing. "Ohhh my gosh, the 'R Virus Eradicator'? That's absolutely adorable, 7."

"You're calling a sophisticated piece of software that's capable of recognizing and curing every virus you've ever written adorable?" Roxas couldn't tell if 7 was angry, or amused.

"I didn't want to flatter your ego," R told him, with a wave of her hand. Immediately after she leaned into the screen, eyes glinting. "Does it work?" she asked, voice shaking a little with Roxas figured was excitement, after a moment.

"Of course it works!" Now 7 sounded a little irritated.

"Oh man, I could try it or I could prove my point…"

"Whatever you-" Roxas had to stop and clear the rasp from his throat. After coughing and thumping his chest a few times, he tried again: "Whatever you do, can you hurry up and do it? I'm really tired of feeling so gross."

"Alright, alright, I'll run the RVE," R said. "Lay back down Roxas—I can't believe you didn't tell me you created this, 7! Surely you would've bragged or something."

"I thought for sure you would have—"

That was all Roxas heard. He was awake again what felt like instantly, but knew had been at least a couple seconds.

"You're clear to go, Roxas," 7 said. He hardly looked at Roxas. "Still, R, I don't see what the big deal with not telling you is."

"I was only surprised, that's all, I mean—"

Roxas sniffed experimentally, but he no longer felt sick in the slightest. He could breathe again, and the itch in his throat was completely gone. Taking a deep breath—it was nice to breathe normally again—he headed for the door. Halfway there, though, he paused.

"Do… do either of you know anything about the rumors about what's going on in C.O.?" he asked.

They both looked up at him.

"Nothing besides what the rumors have said, no," 7 said.

"Rumors about which parts?" R asked.

Roxas shrugged. "I dunno. The bit about the M.I.A Replicas deserting to there, I guess."

"True, for the most part," R said.

"The Rebellion?"

"Can't confirm, but I wouldn't be surprised."

"What about Riku being in—"

"That's definitely true, I saw him."

"No, I know it's true," Roxas began, but was interrupted again, this time by 7.

"It is?" 7 looked rather surprised.

"Like I said, I saw him," R said. "Not personally, of course, and I wouldn't dare dream to, not now. But, I mean, we have security cameras for a reason, don't we?"

"What do you mean, not now?" 7 asked.

"Well, y'see, he's—"

"Wait a sec!" Roxas interrupted. "If anyone could've checked the security cameras—why don't any of the Organization members believe he's in C.O.?"

"If no one checked them, I suppose," 7 said.

"Isn't it Saix's job to? Being in charge of the Replica Program and all."

R scoffed. "Yeah, but name me one thing he's actually done for the Program since he was put in charge."

Roxas couldn't, but he wasn't sure if that only came down to the fact he hadn't been here all that long. Even so, considering Saix's reputation, and the way 7 nodded…

"And, knowing the other Organization members, I can't say it's entirely surprising," 7 added. "I can't really imagine any of them taking the time out of their day to look into something that doesn't immediately affect them."

"Exactly," R agreed. "But I wouldn't count on Xemnas not knowing. Xemnas not caring, or not seeing Riku as a threat, well… that's another story."

Now 7 frowned at her. "I… wouldn't be so sure."

"He knows everything, though. He knew about me writing viruses."

"You weren't exactly subtle…"

R rolled her eyes.

"Why hasn't Xemnas done anything about it, then, if he knows?" Roxas asked, hoping to steer them back on subject.

"Like I said, he either doesn't care, or doesn't see Riku as a threat," R answered.

Roxas grimaced. He thought Xemnas would care a little more about the Organization's safety, especially considering Riku's reputation. "That's surpr—" He stopped mid-word, blood running cold. "Wait, do you think he knows about Xion, too?"

"I wouldn't count on him not knowing," R said.

"No, he can't know," 7 argued. "He'd be making a fuss about her if he did. The Keyblade is all he ever wanted, and knowing that there's a second Replica out there who can use one—he would have gone after her if he knew, there's no doubt about it."

R raised her hands in defeat, though she didn't look convinced. "If you say so." She didn't sound convinced, either.

"That's… comforting…" Roxas said. It was sarcasm.

"Don't worry, once we have her data fixed, it won't be a problem," 7 said. "We'll have told Xemnas about her by then, and he won't resort to drastic measures to hunt her down."

Roxas gulped. "Uh, about… that." He cleared his throat. "Xion says she doesn't want to stay with the Organization. She doesn't really… like them…" Simplifying it to she doesn't like them felt a little silly, but he couldn't think of a better way to put it at the moment.

7 and R exchanged glances. 7 looked a little worried, but R didn't look a bit surprised.

"Can't say I blame her," she said.

"I… I don't know how I'm supposed to keep her safe from Xemnas once she's fully functional, though," 7 said. He reached up as if to adjust his glasses, except he wasn't wearing them now, so his hand hovered by his face awkwardly for a second.

"Going into hiding won't work?" Roxas asked, even though he'd expected as much.

"It's not like anyone's really succeeded in leaving the Organization before," 7 answered. After a stern glance from R, he hastily amended: "Well, alright, a Replica or two, here and there, yes. A few have managed to vanish off the radar. But none with as high of interest as Xion."

Roxas nodded. He'd figured that as much, too. Xemnas had threatened to drag him back if he left, why should it be any different for Xion, once he learned about her?

I wonder why he wants the Keyblade so bad, though, Roxas thought. And Kingdom Hearts—what is it, anyway? What's he want with it?

"You two are both missing the obvious solution," R sighed, spinning around once in 7's chair and somehow making it look nonchalant.

7 turned to her, looking more curious than anything else. "And what's that?"

"Don't give her her Keyblade back," R said. She shrugged. "Fix her data so it doesn't collapse on itself, but don't give her a Keyblade again. Without a Keyblade, Xemnas won't care about her, and she is completely, one hundred percent, free from the Organization."

"That's… that's a good point!" Roxas broke into a grin. A trick like that would never work to free him from the Organization—not that he could entirely say he wanted to leave, threats and questionable motives or no—but it would work for Xion. Even if Xemnas found out about her, or already knew about her… what use was she to him without a Keyblade?

"We'll have to check with her and make sure she's okay with it," 7 warned.

"C'mon, if it means being safe from Xemnas?" Roxas grinned even wider, opening the door. He had to go get Xion, and tell her right away. "I think she'll agree to it, no prob."